The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus wherein a memory device stores (1) image data in units of pages, (2) an external apparatus number pertaining to a polling reception originating terminal, a multi-address calling destination, a repeating destination terminal, a send destination or the like, and (3) time data for polling reception, transmission or the like, wherein automatic sending control is performed by time designation in accordance with a program, so that limitations imposed on available time of the facsimile apparatus are eliminated and communication cost is reduced.
In a conventional facsimile apparatus, the buffer capacity of the image data corresponds to only a few scanning lines. For this reason, image reading from a document or image recording must be synchronized substantially with transmission of image data on a transmission line. With a conventional facsimile apparatus, a transmission can be performed only when neither of the facsimile apparatuses at the sending and receiving sides is busy, the transmission line connecting them is not busy, and both the sending and receiving parties are ready for such a transmission. This means that the use of a facsimile apparatus by a user is limited to a certain period of time. Regarding operation of a facsimile apparatus, since an operator is required, use of the facsimile apparatus during the nighttime is difficult. When the facsimile apparatus of a receiving side is busy, the user at the sending side must wait until the facsimile apparatus of the receiving side is no longer busy.
In order to solve this problem, a system has been proposed wherein a facsimile apparatus has a memory device having a large capacity, image data is stored in the memory device in units of pages, and transmission of the stored image data is performed between such memory devices of facsimile apparatuses of sending and receiving sides without requiring synchronism with the image reading or recording operation. With this system, the facsimile apparatuses at the sending and receiving sides can be operated independently of each other with respect to time as viewed from the users. However, in order to allow effective functioning of this system, a given destination facsimile apparatus must be automatically polled at a given time and the line must be connected accordingly so as to allow transmission/reception of image data.
In a conventional facsimile transmission system of sequential polling reception type, as shown in FIG. 1, a polling device 8 must be connected through a switching board 7, both of which are separate from and located between the facsimile apparatus terminals 1 and 4 for connecting these terminals. In a conventional repeating/multi-address calling facsimile system or sequential multi-address calling facsimile system, a multi-address calling device, which is separate from the facsimile apparatus, must be used. For this reason, it is difficult for a user to set or change the polling reception originating terminal, repeating destination, or multi-address calling destination. Since such a system does not have a function for designating polling reception or send times, or a repeating/multi-address calling function, the facsimile transmission cannot be performed at desired times and communication cost is relatively high.
The present invention resolves such problems of the conventional facsimile apparatus as described above.